Hey all, I am a computer engineer with a decent woodworking DIY background and have been visiting this site for quite some time now, waiting for a good moment to start a CNC project . It appears that now is that time, as my dad just gave me his 8ft long mechanical router/lathe machine. I don't really have a need for such a machine and it has a ton of parts that I can use to build a CNC, (aluminum profile, brackets, t-nuts and bolts etc) so it is probably a perfect time to get my feet wet.

As far as planning goes, I'm definitely a fan of the C Beam XL design, so I'll probably end up with something similar. While the C Beam aluminum profiles look clean, I cannot bring myself to spending the money when I have this free aluminum in front of me. Perhaps that can be an upgrade if I find it necessary later.

As I have already taken the machine apart completely, the next step looks like I'll have to clean up all these parts to see what I have that is usable and then time to design. From the looks of it, I think I'll have enough aluminum without having to buy any. Perhaps I can even build a stand for it depending on the size I choose to make it.

If anyone has any suggestions, or similar builds that I should check out, please let me know. Any info would be helpful.

7-11-2017 UPDATE: I started arranging the parts a bit. I have not cut anything yet... just messing with the pieces to see how I can fit things together. I took more pictures to show the nice looking brackets....curious as to how well i can get everything perfectly square. I still need to clean off the 7ft pieces of aluminum and decide on a size for this machine. Im not a huge fan of the design of this aluminum but it should do, at least for this beginner test build. All suggestions are welcomed.